Lasso practicing apparatus



Dec. 4, 1962 D. E. SPROUT LASSO PRACTICING APPARATUS Filed May 1'7,196].

INVENTOR 0/71 E 551 0 u r ATTORNEY Unite This invention relates to anapparatus or device of simple construction adapted to be utilized forpracticing lassoing or roping.

More particularly, it is an aim of the invention to provide an apparatussimulating a steers head and defining a target over which the noose of alariat is thrown.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus whereinthe horns are swingably mounted so that after the noose of a lariat hasbeen successfully thrown over the dummy steer head, the noose can bedisengaged from the device by a pull exerted on the lariat at a pointremote from the device, so that the user is not required to move fromhis throwing position in order to detach the lariat noose from theapparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roping apparatusincluding pivotally mounted horns which are gravity urged to normalextended positions relative to one another and which are capable ofswinging upwardly by the pull of a lariat noose thereon to substantiallyparallel positions, from which the noose can be readily disengaged fromthe horns, for releasing the horns which are then returned automaticallyby gravity to their normal extended positions relative to one another.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing the lasso practicingapparatus as it will appear when a lariat noose is about to bedisengaged therefrom;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along a planeas indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1 but showing the horns, infull lines, in normal extended positions relative to one another;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along a planeas indicated by the line 3-3 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken sub stantially along aplane as indicated by the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially along aplane as indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the lasso practicingapparatus in its entirety and comprising the invention is designatedgenerally 7 and includes a hollow body member 8 of a rigid sheetmaterial having a lower end 9, an upper end 10, an outer or rear Wall11, an inner or front wall 12, and corresponding side edges 13. The bodymember 8 is substantially wider at its lower end 9 than at its upper end11] and the width thereof, as measured between the side edges 13, issubstantially greater than its thickness, as measured between the walls11 and 12. Accordingly, the side edges 13, which are convexly rounded incross section, as seen in FIGURE 3, extend upwardly in convergingrelation to one another.

The piece of sheet material 14 from which the body member 8 is formedhas overlapping edges 15, as seen in FIGURES 3 and 5, which are disposedsubstantially medially of the front wall 12 and which are provided withlongitudinally spaced aligned openings 16 to receive nut and boltfastenings 17, by which the edges 15 are secured together. A stake 18 isdisposed against the exterior side of the front wall 12 and has openings19 aligning with the openings 16 and through which the bolts of thefastenings rates Patent 9 ice 17 extend, for additionally securing thestake 18 rigidly to the body member 8. The stake 13, which is rigid,extends substantially below the bottom 9 of the body 8 and terminates atits lower end in a point 20. The upper end of the stake 18 is rolledoutwardly to form a sleeve 21 which is disposed crosswise thereof andbeneath and adjacent the upper end 10 of the body. An intermediateportion 22 of a rod 23 is journaled in the sleeve 21, and said rod haselongated end portions forming brace legs 24 which extend outwardly fromthe intermediate portion 22 in diverging relation to one another. Thebrace legs 24 are substantially straight, except that said brace legsare provided with downwardly curved tapered terminals 25. The two bracelegs 24 combine with the stake 18 to form a tripod support for the body8.

The upper ends of the walls 11 and 12, at the side edges thereof, andthe upper ends of the edges 13 are cutaway or recessed to formcorresponding notches 26 at the ends of the elongated open top 10 of thebody 8. A somewhat elongated channel shaped member 27 is secured in theopen upper end it between the notches 26 by bolts of nut and boltfastenings 28 which extend through the upper portions of the rear wall11 and front wall 12 and through upper portions of the side walls 29 ofthe insert 27, adjacent the ends of said insert, as best seen in FIGURES3 and 4. The insert 27 has a bar 30 extending across the top thereof,between the walls 29, and which bar is disposed between and spaced fromthe fastenings 28.

A pair of elongated horns 31 and 3 2 have inner ends disposed in theopen top 10 in spaced apart end-to-end relation to one another. Upperportions of the inner ends of the horns have extensions which are rolledto form barrels or sleeves 33 which are disposed beyond. the inner endsof the horns and crosswise thereof. The barrels or sleeves 33 arejournaled on the bolts of the fastenings 28 and are disposed within theinsert 27. The horns 31 and 32 are rigid and preferably hollow and havecomplementary outer end portions 34 which taper to rounded points andwhich are curved rearwardly so as to extend away from the front side 12and across the plane of the rear side 11. Portions of the horns 31 and32 are normally supported in the notches 26 so that said horns aredisposed substantially coplanar, as seen in full lines in FIGURE 2, andat approximately a right angle to the stake 18. The horns 31 and 32 canbe swung upwardly about their pivots 28 to positions substantiallyparallel to one another and to the stake 18, as seen in dotted lines inFIGURE 2, the bar 30 preventing swinging movement of the horns 31 and 32toward one another beyond their dotted line positions of FIGURE 2, sothat the pivots 28 are disposed between the axes of said horns. Thus,the preponderance of the weight of the horns is located outwardly withrespect to the pivots 28 so that the horns will normally return bygravity from their dotted line to their full line positions of FIGURE 2.

The brace legs 24 are swung outwardly from the body 8 to approximatelythe positions thereof as seen in FIG- URES 1 and 5, after which thelower stake end 21 and the brace leg ends 25 are driven into the ground35 for supporting the body 8 at an incline as seen in FIGURE 1 with thefront side 12 constituting the underside thereof. The extent that thetripod legs 24 are swung away from the body 8 can be varied to vary theinclination at which the body will be supported by the tripod. The userof the apparatus 7 stands at a distance therefrom and to the rightthereof as seen in FIGURE 1 for throwing a l-ariat 36 in an effort toloop the lariat noose 37 over the outwardly extending horns 31 and 32and around the body 8, beneath said horns. If the effort is successful,the lariat user, not shown, may disengage the noose 37 from theapparatus 7 without moving from his throwing position.

This is accomplished by pulling on the lariat 36 in a direction awayfrom the apparatus 7 or from left to right of FIGURE 1. Such a pull willcause the noose 37 to be restricted and to slide up the body 8 andtripod legs 24 into engagement under the horns 3.1 and 32. The pressureof the noose on the undersides of the bonus will swing said hornsupwardly from their full line to their dotted line positions of FIGURE2. As the horns swing upwardly, the partially open noose 37, as seen inFIG- URE 1, will slide up the horns and off the tapered ends 34 thereof,for thereby disengaging the lari-at from the apparatus 7, so that it canbe retrieved and thrown again by the user. It will also be readilyapparent that as soon as the noose 37 moves out of engagement with thehorns 31 and 32, that said horns will be returned by gravity to theiraligned full line positions of FIGURE 2, so that the apparatus 7 isagain in a position to provide a target for the next throw of thelariat.

The apparatus 7 may bemade in various sizes. The span of the body 8,between its edges 13 may be equal to the width of a steers head and thespan of the extended horns 31 and 32 may correspond to the span of thehorns of a steer, or said apparatus may be made in smaller sizes for useas a toy by children. In its larger size, the apparatus 7 is welladapted for use by adults to practice lariat throwing.

The brace legs 24 are folded against the from body side 12 for storageof the apparatus 7 when not in use.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resortedto, without departing from the function or scope of the invention ashereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A lasso practicing apparatus comprising a body member simulating asteers head, an adjustable tripod support having one leg attached to thebody member for supporting the body member at an incline, said bodymember having an open recessed upper end, a pair of horns, meanspivotally connecting said horns to the upper portion of said body memberfor swinging movement of the horns relative to the body member aboutsubstantially parallel axes between an extended position substantiallyin alignment with one another and supported by the recessed upper end ofthe body member and raised positions extending upwardly from the bodymember and disposed substantially parallel to one another.

2. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 1, said means being disposedwhereby the horns are gravity urged downward from said last mentionedparallel positions thereof.

3. A lasso practicing apparatus comprising a body member having a lowerend and a recessed upper end, supporting means connected to andsupporting the body member at an incline, a pair of horns havingadjacent ends disposed in the upper end of said body member, meanspivotally connecting said adjacent horn ends to the body member forswinging movement of the horns relative to the body member aboutsubstantially parallel axes between extended positions with the adjacenthorn ends disposed substantially in alignment with one another andfolded positions in which the horns extend upwardly from the body memberand are disposed substantially parallel to one another.

4. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 3, stop means disposedbetween said pivot means for limiting swinging movement of the hornstoward one another and for positioning the horns, in the foldedpositions thereof, whereby the horns are gravity urged to swingdownwardly toward extended positions.

5. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 4, said recessed upper endhaving aligned portions for receiving and supporting the horns in theextended positions thereof.

6. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 3, said body member beinghollow and having upwardly converging convexly rounded side edgeportions, a rear side and a front side, the spacing between said frontside and rear side being substantially less than the spacing betweensaid side edge portions, and the inner ends of said horns being disposedwithin the recessed upper end of the body member and between and spacedfrom the upper ends of said side edge portions in both the extended andfolded positions of the horns.

7. A lasso practicing apparatus as in claim 6, said horns being of alength such that the spread of the horns in the extended positionsthereof is substantially greater than the width of the upper end of thebody member.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

